A Controller Area Network (CAN) bus is a vehicle bus standard developed by Robert Bosch, GmbH to allow automotive-related microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other without a centralized (host) computer terminal. Conventionally, a CAN bus network is linear, which can be beneficial in an automotive environment but can be a drawback if the CAN bus network is to be used in other environments where a branched configuration is preferred.
One example where a branched configuration is preferred is a dental equipment network. While linear connections can be easy to assemble, dental equipment networks can include modules that are remote from the rest of the network (e.g., an activator pedal or a dental light) and connecting such remote modules in a linear configuration can require long lengths of cable, which decreases communication efficiency. Additionally, linear networks conventionally can overcome these limitations by requiring a resistor termination at every node (e.g., each separate piece of dental equipment) connected in a linear configuration, by using other end-point terminations (e.g., added by a technician), and/or by using a fixed set of circuit boards for defining end-points. However, individual termination resistance at every node can significantly decrease the communication speed in the dental equipment network, manually installed endpoint terminations (e.g., added by a technician) are vulnerable to human error and a fixed set of circuit boards can limit configuration flexibility.